haha yeah your friend's right, everyone just calls it El Estadio. sound can be a crapshoot but my tip is to aim for the left side of the stage if your tickets are in the back half. sections 5-7 on that side usually catch the delay towers pretty clean, the right side gets more wind off the lagoon at night. also if you're in the upper rows try to sit closer to the middle of the row, the concrete walls at the ends create this annoying slapback echo that makes vocals sound like they're coming from a tin can. worst case just wander down to the concourse level during the opener, the sound is actually better there because the overhang traps the audio

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honestly, the back sections aren't always a total loss. i've found the sound is actually decent around sections 10-12 on the side, even far back, because the speakers are angled that way. the real black hole is anything directly behind the stage, that's where it turns into a muffled mess. if you're in the upper rows, try to get there early and stand near an aisle, the echo bounces off the concrete walls less there. worst case, walk around during the opening act and find a spot that sounds good to you, security at el estadio is usually chill about moving around once the show starts

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fwiw i think the trick at el estadio is less about the section number and more about where you are relative to the speaker stacks. the main arrays are hung on the sides of the stage, so if you're directly in line with those you're golden even far back. sections 5 and 6 on the left or 15 and 16 on the right get a direct hit from the delay towers. the real problem is the upper rows on the opposite side from the stage, the sound has to travel across the whole field and hits the back wall before coming back to you. if you can, try to move down a few rows during the opener, the concrete steps create a weird reverb that gets worse the higher you go

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i'd also say check out the public library in centro, biblioteca municipal on avenida bonampak. they have free wifi and air conditioning, which is a lifesaver during the hot afternoons when you're waiting for a bus or just need a break from the sun. for a cheap meal, the tortas at tortas el faraon on avenida tulum are like 30 pesos and they load them up with avocado and chipotle, way better than the hotel zone junk. one thing nobody mentions is that the r2 bus goes all the way to the puerto juarez ferry dock for isla mujeres, so you don't need a separate taxi if you're heading there for the day

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mercado 28 is good advice but honestly the real move is the early morning market on avenida tulum near the ade hospital, stalls set up around 6am and u can get a full breakfast of huevos motuleños and fresh papaya juice for under 40 pesos, the ladies there have been doing it for decades. for the bus thing, don't forget the r1 also runs a night route until like 1am but it's less frequent, i've waited 30 mins at 11pm before so keep that in mind. one spot i never see in guides is the small public pier at punta cancun, it's free to walk out and u can watch the ferries come in, way quieter than the hotel zone beaches

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this is solid advice, especially the bus part. the r1 bus is a lifesaver and honestly runs more frequently than u'd expect for 12 pesos. one thing i'd add is to hit up the local tiendas or a tortillería for breakfast instead of even hostel food, a few pesos gets u fresh tortillas and some salsa. also for the ADO bus, if u're going to playa or tulum, buy ur ticket a day early from the downtown terminal, the popular morning ones sell out fast and then u're stuck waiting an hour. mercado 28 is good but don't skip the smaller stalls on the side streets near parque de las palapas, i found better cochinita pibil there for like 40 pesos and the old ladies running them are way friendlier. the scenic tower is not worth the 10 bucks tbh, just walk to the beach by the ritz-carlton for a free sunset that's just as good

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